NASHVILLE IMMIGRANT RIGHTS GROUPS PREPARE FOR EXECUTIVE ORDER

President Barack Obama has not yet announced his executive order on immigration, but already Nashville immigrant advocacy groups are preparing for the changes.

The president announced that he would take unilateral action before the end of the year to improve the nation’s immigration system. His announcement came just days after Republicans took control of the U.S. Senate and made gains to their majority in the House of Representatives.

Republicans criticized the timing of the president’s announcement as a signal that he will be unwilling to work with the new Congress on important issues. Senator Rob Portman on MSNBC’s Morning Joe said he expects lawsuits against the action.

Although details of the executive order are still unknown, immigration advocates believe that it will be similar to the 2012 order known as Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals.

Nashville’s Immigrant Community

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In Nashville, immigrants account for the majority of the population grown from 2000-2012. Groups like Catholic Charities of Tennessee provide resources like counseling, documentation assistance, and rights awareness.

Donna Gann, the Coordinator of the Immigration Support Services with Catholic Charities says she expects an increase in their work with the immigrant community in Nashville as a result of President Obama’s executive order. Initially, they must inform the community of what exactly the executive order will do.

“They trust our organization because we’ve been in this service for so many years.” Said Gann. “They trust us to tell them what they need to do.” In the wake of broad changes, groups like Catholic Charities provide a vital service to the community.

Listen below for more on how advocacy groups prepare for change in immigration law:

Nashville’s Kurds Speak Out

A community with deep ties to the conflict in Iraq speaks out against Turkey’s roll in the ISIS fight.

Once a quiet community, Nashville’s Kurds want their voices heard on U.S. foreign policy the Middle East.

“Turkey, ISIS are the same,” chanted a crowd in front of the US District Court for Middle Tennessee on a rainy Friday in early October. “Only difference is the name.”

Some waved American and Kurdish flags, while others held homemade signs, begging for support of Kobane.

The conflict with ISIS thrusts a decades old rift between the Turks and Kurds onto the global stage.

As war wages in the Middle East, Kurdish-Americans in the city dubbed “Little Kurdistan” hope for an outcome that includes an independent homeland.

Kurdish rally in front of U.S. District Court for Middle Tennessee Credit: The Tennessee Kurdish Community Council

The Turkish Problem

Turkey has already proven to be a less than reliable partner in the conflict with ISIS.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry attempted to reassure the world of Turkey’s engagement at the Global Counter Terrorism Forum in late September saying, “Turkey is very much part of this coalition, and Turkey will be very engaged on the frontlines of this effort.”

With the besieged Kurdish town of Kobane on the border with Turkey, the Turkish government’s inaction fueled speculation around the NATO ally’s true allegiance.

Kurds in the Middle East claim a Turkish/ISIS link, fearing the government in Ankara is enabling the radical Islamic group.

To complicate matters further, Turkey conducted airstrikes last week on the leftist Kurdistan Workers’ Party, while still refraining from military engagement with ISIS.

It took President Obama directly calling Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to finally open a path through Turkey for Kurdish fighters’ counter assault on ISIS.

U.S. Response

The Obama Administration is dealing with record low approval ratings in his dealing with ISIS. According to a new Fox News poll, 59% of likely voters disapprove of Mr. Obama’s handling of foreign policy, while 57% disapprove of his handling of ISIS.

While the Obama Administration continues its tepid response to ISIS’s advancement, the Kurds will continue to fight for their lives in towns like Kobane, Syria and Irbil, Iraq.

Kurds in Tennessee

Nashville typically evokes images of cowboy boots and honky tonks, not the largest Kurdish population in the United States. However starting 1976, Kurdish immigrants fleeing persecution have found a home in the Tennessee capital.

Seeking low-cost of living and jobs, they found their way to an enclave off Nolensville Pike—an immigrant rich area southeast of downtown. The location allowed for the small community to thrive, without the typical forces in the American South pressuring it to conform.

Now, an unassuming strip mall serves as the de facto city center for “Little Kurdistan.” Kurdish owned restaurants, markets and a salon flank the Salahadeen Center of Nashville—a local mosque.

A market in the Little Kurdistan neighborhood of Nashville Credit: William Haynes 

Free Kurdistan

Retaining much pride for the region they left, the conflict with ISIS has given new life to opportunity to push for Kurdish independence. Through social media, the Tennessee Kurdish Community Council organizes rallies, like the one in front of the courthouse, to raise awareness for the Kurdish plight.

Along side the “stop ISIS” signs were messages to “liberate Kurdistan.” Cries to “Free Kurdistan” are as much a message against oppressive Middle Eastern governments as they are against the terrorist group.

With the United States finally arming the Kurdish militias in the fight against ISIS, it could signal hope that a victory on the battlefield would lead to a sovereign, independent Kurdistan.

Dr. Walid Phares told Fox News, “Kobani has now become a Stalingrad for the Kurds.” While that may indeed be the case, many Kurds are hoping it will be their Battle of Yorktown.